12th Nov 2010, 10:30

My 2002 L300 lacks a transmission fluid dipstick, so there is no convenient way to check on the level or condition of the transmission fluid. Hard to maintain the car correctly when lacking such a simple check on the condition of the transmission fluid.

2002 Saturn L300 6 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Faults:

2) Lamp assembly had to be replaced, lights on both the inside and outside of the car flickered on and off.

12/30/2004

1) Front strut had to be replaced, vehicle made loud knocking sound when going over bumps.

2/19/2006

1) Links on the sway bar and torsion bar support had to be replaced due to loud knocking sound.

3/14/2006

1) Tires had to be replaced (2nd time replaced due to uneven wearing of tire). They didn't document the first replacement, my wife simply noticed that they had been changed out during a routine oil change. The dealership didn't document why they were replaced, but advised verbally that it had to do with a sway bar in the rear not functioning properly.

8/29/2006

1) Battery replaced (2nd time replaced). First time wasn't documented by dealership rather they simply advised my wife that there was some unusual corrosion noticed so it was done free of charge.

2) We were advised during this visit that all 4 tires needed to be replaced due to uneven wearing (at our expense). Note: this will be the 3rd "replacement" of these tires and vehicle only has just over 55,000 miles on it. Reason for uneven wearing was blamed on driver error. Essentially they stated that my pregnant wife (with a one year old in the back seat) was slamming on the brakes frequently causing the tires to skid across the pavement. Interestingly enough the brakes are fine so I'd give them a 10/10 on a quality scale.

General Comments:

You get a lot of "extra" features for the money on this make and model; however, the overall quality of the vehicle doesn't come close to comparing to that of some of its foreign competitors (previously owned a Honda Accord which is far superior in all categories, but you pay for that quality on the front end).

General Comments:

When I asked about having the steering wheel checked for the popping noise the Saturn service manager told me that it is a common problem on the L300. When he saw I had the water pump replaced he said that was another common problem!

At 67,500 miles the service manager recommended a special alignment kit to make future realignments easier! Sounds like they know this is a problem with the L300, too.

You MUST have the oil changed at Saturn because of the "special" filter. Many quick change places won't touch the L300 because the filter is known to leak.